George's Girl (Redux)
by GingersKitty08
Summary: The new girl at Hogwarts has an interesting meeting with the Weasley Twins. Who will she end up with? I'm sure we all already know. P (A re-vamp of one of my old stories. Not much has been changed, but so much will be added!)
1. Chapter 1

_So, here it is, the first chapter of the re-vamped "George's Girl"! I hope you all love it as much, if not more, than you did the original. Enjoy, you guys! Leave me nice reviews so I know how you're liking the changes and additions I've made! ~Angel_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or any of its locations or characters. I wish I did, but I don't. The story concept and original characters are all mine, though, and I'm so so proud that they are._

I sighed as I looked around my room. Packing for school was going to be a nightmare.

"Mum," I yelled, as I walked toward my bedroom door. "Muuuum!"

"Yes, Sarah?" She stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at me.

"Do I have to go," I asked. "To Hogwarts, I mean. What's so wrong with me going to Beauxbatons?"

She began walking up the stairs toward me, and leaned in the doorway. "Yes, you have to go. Your father and I agreed that, even though it IS still a boarding school, it would be better to have you close to home. To keep you out of trouble. And, I've heard you might even get a better education at Hogwarts than at Beauxbatons."

I huffed, and went back to packing. "Fine. I'll go," I said, half-sure she couldn't hear me. "But I won't be happy about it."

"But, can't I at LEAST take Cal with me," I asked for the millionth time.

"Fine," my mum sighed. "You'll have to deal with your teachers when you get there. Dogs aren't on the 'pets permitted' list, you know." She half-smiled. "And don't you dare lose him," she lectured. "Your sister will kill you."

I laughed. "Don't worry, mum," I replied. "How hard could it be taking care of this guy? And besides, who could turn away this lovable mutt?"

"I don't know how, but I just have a feeling that you would," she said. "I'm just scared you're going to lose him..."

"Whatever," I said, smiling brightly. "Just help me get my junk on-board so I can leave, yeah?"

Mum laughed and made me drag my own trunk over to the storage compartments. She wasn't about to let me get away with EVERYTHING today.

Now, to introduce myself.

My name is Sarah Andrews. I'm 15, and I've attended Beaxbatons academy since I was 11 years old. There, I was the troublemaking prankster queen. I'd been sent home SEVERAL times at the end of term with a letter asking that my "behaviour problems be resolved" over the summer holiday. My dad thinks I will do well at Hogwarts, but I'm not so sure of that.

Cal (short for Calcifer) is my older sister, Christine's, dog. At the moment, we're watching him for her, since she's away on her post-graduation holiday. She gets to travel around the world to some of the most important wizarding locations of the far distant and very near past.

A very large, rather hairy man was helping students up onto the train. He yelled, "Alrigh'. Everyone on-board! Train's leavin' soon!"

"Bye, mum!" I hugged her one last time before getting onto the train. "I'll see you, dad, and Christine at Christmas!"

She smiled sadly at me, like she always did when I left for school, and blew me a kiss. "Be GOOD!"

Wandering around the train, I finally found an empty compartment. Cal curled up in the corner of the seat closest to the window. I threw my bag into the spot across from him and went to sit down.

Just as I started to sit, I heard a very loud, almost angry "HEY!"

Jumping up, I looked around, startled. "Who's there?" The compartment still seemed to be empty, except for myself and Cal.

"Why, hello there!" Suddenly, a tall, red-haired boy appeared, sitting right next to Cal. The poor old dog jumped when he appeared.

I turned back to where I had been sitting, just in time to see a flash of brightest red. In the seat was not just me, but another boy that looked exactly like the one next to Cal.

This was going to be a LOOOONG trip.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or any of its locations or characters. I wish I did, but I don't. The story concept and original characters are all mine, though, and I'm so so proud that they are._

My head was in a blur. Two identical boys had just appeared in the compartment I had assumed to be empty. The red hair, hazel eyes, and mischievous smile seemed to be reflected from one onto the other.

Cal was sniffing suspiciously at the boy next to him, and I thought that was as good a place to start as any. Getting to know these strange boys I would inevitably be in classes with.

Beginning with the one Cal was sniffing, I asked, "Umm... Who are you?"

"I'm Fred," he said, smiling brightly. He began scratching Cal behind the ears. "Nice dog you have. You know they aren't allowed, right?"

"And I'm squished," the other boy said, poking me in the sides. "Nice to meet you, heavy person."

"Oh! I'm sorry," I said, jumping off his lap and into the seat next to him. "I'm Sarah," I explained. "And that's Cal." I poked 'squished' and said, "I'm not THAT heavy, you know."

'Squished' laughed, and said, "I'm George."

"Nice to meet you both," I said, turning my attention to both brothers. "So, I'm assuming there's just the two of you, right?"

"Oh, no," Fred said, smiling mischievously. "There's about... Seven of us, in total."

My head was reeling at the thought. "Seven guys that look exactly alike, running around one school?" I laughed. "What do the teachers think of that?"

George laughed. "No, no, no. Not seven of US specifically," he explained. "He's talking about the rest of our family. There's just two of us that look this much alike."

"Pity for the ladies," Fred said, feigning a pout. "They do like our looks, don't they, George?"

"Of course they do, Fred." He pouted at me sadly. "Pity there AREN'T seven of us, to keep us from hogging all that attention between the two of us."

I laughed. "Oh, sure," I said. "I'm sure they're all just SO upset they don't get a chance to hang out with the disappearing twins, aren't they?" Smiling, I continued, "So you have five brothers, then? I feel sorry for your mum."

"Nah," Fred continued, still petting Cal, who seemed to be starting to like the stranger that had scared him just moments earlier.

"Four brothers," George said, almost completing his brother's sentence.

"One sister," they finished saying together. I could see this getting annoying after a while, but I was sure, if we were going to be friends, I would get used to it.

I imagined life for the poor girl that had six older brothers. "Wow. One girl in a family full of boys," I said. "She's got to be one tough chick, am I right?"

Fred laughed so hard, he almost fell out of his seat. "No way," he said. "She's the girliest of the girls, honestly."

"But she plays a mean game of Quidditch," George finished. "Knocked me clean off my broom, once. She might be girly, but she can be tough when she needs to be."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or any of its locations or characters. I wish I did, but I don't. The story concept and original characters are all mine, though, and I'm so so proud that they are._

Fred smiled the wickedest smile I had ever seen on a person before. He pulled a bag out of his pocket, and held it out toward me. "Would you like a candy," he asked.

"Sure," I said. Reaching into the bag, I pulled out a treat wrapped in green metallic wrapping.

Obviously, I was an idiot for taking a candy from a boy smiling like that, but I figured the worst that could happen was it being a few years old, or some weird flavor rejected by Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans or something.

Of course, everybody should know how dangerous it is to take candy from a Weasley Twin. If you ever have the opportunity, turn around and walk away QUICKLY.

Placing the candy on my tongue, I immediately felt sick. I was either going to throw up or explode, and if I did either, I hoped it would be all over Fred.

(George's POV)

Sarah began turning bright green. Not the exact shade that she should've been turning either. This was concerning, to say the least.

"Uh oh..."

Her eyes turned fearful as I uttered those words.

"Does this mean..."

"Yep," Fred replied. "More testing."

It wasn't exactly what I had meant, but then, Fred never was quite right when it came to thinking exactly like me. We might be twins, but we always had different thought patterns.

(Sarah's POV)

If I could've cried at that moment, I would've burst into tears. I was scared to death, and had no idea what was going on.

As soon as George muttered, "Uh oh..." I started thinking that I was about to die.

Apparently, sometime after my panic, I blacked out. I woke up in a hospital bed, so I assumed we had arrived at Hogwarts while I was passed out. One of the twins was sitting next to me, gazing out the window. The expression on his face was one of guilt and worry.

"Where am I," I asked. My voice was scratchy, as if I hadn't talked in a very long time.

"Sarah!" The twin next to me turned around. The relief on his face was radiant. "I'm so glad you're okay!" His arms flew around me before I could do anything. The hug only lasted a second before he recoiled backwards. Worry was deep in his eyes. "You're not going to yell at me, are you?"

I shook my head. My voice was still too painful to talk.

"Can you talk?"

"Kinda," I said softly. I sounded worse than Cal did that Christmas he swallowed the squeaker out of his squeaky toy.

"Don't say anything, then," he said. "I'll stay right here to keep you company, and fill you in on what's happened so far." Smiling, he realized he hadn't identified himself yet. "I'm-"

"George," I said softly. "I noticed."

He put his hand over my mouth. "Stop talking, then," he said. "Okay, Fred gave you that candy, and you passed out. You've been asleep for almost two weeks now."

"WHAT!?"

"I told you to stop talking," he chided, sounding almost like my mother. "I'm going to go get you something to drink. You don't say another word until I get back."

I sat and thought about all that could've happened in the two weeks that I was asleep. 'Has he been here the entire time?' I looked around, and there seemed to be just one full set of schoolbooks around me. 'Looks like it. That's really sweet of him.'

I mentally smacked myself. 'He probably has a girlfriend, from the way Fred and he were talking on the train... Why am I sad about this? I don't like him! Well... Maybe I do a little... But, I've only known him for a few hours! Er... Weeks... But I've only talked to him for a few hours... Whatever. I don't like him like that.'

George approached and handed me a fizzing purple drink. "Here."

"What is it," I asked, forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be talking.

"Madame Pomfrey told me to give it to you," he said. "It's supposed to help your throat."

"Who is Madame Pomfrey?"

He smiled and shook his head. "If you'd stop interrupting, I'd explain everything."


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or any of its locations or characters. I wish I did, but I don't. The story concept and original characters are all mine, though, and I'm so so proud that they are._

"Just a few minutes after you blacked out, we arrived at Hogwarts," George explained. "By then, we had decided to carry you to the Hospital Wing so Madame Pomfrey could take care of you, instead of wasting time trying to make the antidote."

I must've looked confused, because he followed that up with, "Fred got you with one of the Puking Pastilles, and we hadn't brought the antidote candies with us." He laughed. "Madame Pomfrey was absolutely livid when she found out we had gotten somebody with one of our prank candies before we even got to the school. But she fixed you up pretty well, you just... Didn't wake up for a while."

He went on about how he and Fred had gotten to know the head nurse of the Hospital Wing back in their first year. She never told Headmaster Dumbledore about any of the kids they had accidentally sent to the Hospital Wing, because they had a deal with her. But, somehow, the old man found out every time.

"Well, on to school stuff," he began. "You're two weeks behind in everything, but we convinced all of the professors to let you make the work up when you woke up. The only one that didn't agree to that was Snape, the Potions Master. He's evil, so he's decided that you can make up the work in detentions with him."

"Well, he sounds pleasant," I snarked. "You think I'll survive?"

"If you do, I promise, Fred will NEVER get the chance to test on you again."

I sipped at the frothy purple drink, which tasted a bit like pumpkin juice, and smiled. "That's nice. But what about you?"

"What about me," he asked, feigning ignorance, but I could tell he knew what I meant.

"You won't test your pranks out on me either, right?"

He fake-pouted and sighed. "Fine."

(George's POV)

"You fancy her, don't you," Fred asked, walking into Potions class with me.

"What? Who," I asked.

"Sarah," he replied, smacking my head with the Potions book. "Duh."

I sat my things down on the desk and sighed. "Why would I like her? She likes dogs. She HAS a dog. I don't like dogs. End of."

Fred laughed. "Last time I checked, you were the twin that was BEGGING mum to let us have a dog."

"Well... Fine, you got me there," I said, quickly trying to recover. "I like dogs. But I don't like Sarah."

"Sure, sure," Fred said, setting his things down and sliding into his chair. "Whatever you say, brother of mine. But when she gets hurt or needs help with something, who'll be the first one to jump to her rescue? You."

"What? No!" I was defensive, but knew I couldn't win. I sighed. "Fine. You got me." I flopped down into my chair, defeated.

"Yes! So, you do like her," Fred said.

I smiled mischievously at him. "No. I'm just the heroic type."


	5. Chapter 5

_And here is the last of the one-night re-vamp of this story. I'm working on chapter six right now, and will be continuing this one to an end before starting on another. Promise, promise, promise! Will be posting new chapters as I can. Thank you so much for all the love you've given this story over the years. Love! ~Angel_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or any of its locations or characters. I wish I did, but I don't. The story concept and original characters are all mine, though, and I'm so so proud that they are._

It took me a long time to catch up in my classes. Fred and George (but mostly George) had helped me with the homework, and while in class, one of them (also usually George) would sit with me and (when the professor wasn't looking) he'd correct my work for me.

Detentions with Snape were the worst part of Hogwarts. Fred and George would sit outside the dungeon classroom, waiting for me while I was in there, but it didn't make it go any faster.

Snape was the only professor that never looked away from me at all during classes. I had to struggle for myself through class. Homework a la George was the reason I was going to be in detentions for the rest of my life.

Somehow, the greasy creep had figured out I wasn't doing my own homework. When I finally had gotten finished making up the days I had missed with detentions, he announced that Fred, George, and I all had detentions with him.

"What?!" Fred stood quickly, knocking a jar of pickled bat spleens or something off the table and into the floor. "How did we ALL get detentions?"

"One of you... WEASLEYS has been doing Miss Andrews' homework for her," he said in that slow-as-molasses voice of his. "And so, until further notice, the three of you will be attending detentions twice a week, with me, in the dungeons, until I can find out a better way to punish you for these misdeeds." He looked Fred straight in the eyes and said, "Am. I. Clear?"

Fred, looking the professor dead in the eyes, smirked to himself and said, "Nah. You're a little too opaque. But, if you stay out of the sun, someday you might be."

A vein almost jumped out of Snape's forehead at that moment. I wasn't sure that any of us were going to make it out of that classroom alive.

"Merlin's pants, Fred," I gasped between laughs. "What made you think you could get away with that level of snark against Snape?"

We made our way out of the dungeons and toward the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I dunno," he said, shrugging. "Just thought it'd be funny." He smiled at me. "Worth it."

"Yeah, but you got yourself stuck in detentions every day for the rest of the month," George said. "What're we gonna do with one Weasley Twin and this git?" He fluffled my hair.

I smacked his hand away and laughed. "Who are you calling a git, you prig?"

George put a hand to his chest, mock-offended. "Prig? You're killing me, Sarah. You're... Augh!" He turned to Fred. "Tell mum... Tell mum, I want to be buried in the garden, Freddie." He fell to his knees, mock-dying. "Not in one of those gnome-holes, but under a rosebush."

"Oh, shut up," I said, laughing. "Honestly, you are two of the most dramatic boys I have ever met."

Down the hall, a grouping of girls was whispering about something-or-another. As we approached, they turned to look at us. All of them giggled and turned away.

"What's that about," George asked.

"Obviously, they're discussing how much more attractive I am than you," Fred said, preening. "It's just so clear that anybody can see it."

I hung my head a little lower as we passed the group, whose eyes were on me. It was the usual. All the girls I tried to be friends with immediately assumed that I was dating one or the other of the twins. And when I tried to defend myself against their claims, the rumors only came around worse.

The most recent batch was that I wasn't dating Fred OR George, but rather Fred AND George. And quite possibly, their younger brother as well. It had turned into such a ruckus that I had just decided having girls for friends wasn't even worth it anymore.

"What's with you, Sarah," Fred asked, seeing how I was walking so much faster than usual.

"Just want to get back to the Common Room," I said quickly. "That's all. Just... Want to get out of the halls."

George looked around, not understanding. "Is it those girls? Does it bother you that they talk about us like that?"

"Pfft, I could care less that they talk about how cute you two prats are," I said, trying as hard as I could to act normal. "You're my friends, but I won't act like I'm jealous of those bubble-headed idiots."

He looked at me seriously, "You know what I mean, Sarah."

Fred turned to his brother, slightly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Surely you've heard the rumors those girls spread about Sarah," George said, softly. "About Sarah and US..."

"Eh," Fred said, shrugging. "Not like it matters much to me anyway. Just let it roll off your back, kid," he said, smacking me on the back. "Like water off a duck's butt."

I turned, eyes red and almost teary. "Easy for you to say, Fred. You're a guy. Things roll off you like that, but they stick to girls forever, you know."

The twins tried to talk me down from my anger, but as soon as we were in the Common Room, I ran up the stairs to the Girls' Dormitories so they would leave me alone. It was one of those times that I was very happy the stairs rejected boys coming into our portion of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Oooh," Jocelyn, one of my roommates cooed, acting sarcastically sympathetic. "Had a fight with your boyfriends, did you, Sarah? What, you not want to do the deed in the Forbidden Forest tonight?"

The girls laughed as I retreated into my bed. I had put a silencing charm on my curtains after the first few weeks. They couldn't hear me crying at night, and I couldn't hear their harsh words and gossip.


	6. Chapter 6

(George's POV)

"You shouldn't say things like that to her, you know," I said as Sarah retreated up to her dormitory.

Fred looked at me, half-confused. "What are you talking about? I just said she shouldn't listen to them. What's so offensive about that?"

I sighed. "She can't just let things go like that. You should know her better by now," I replied. "Every girl at Hogwarts looks at her like she's... Lesser. Dirty even. Even the muggle-borns look at her like that, and they know what it's like to be looked down on."

We walked up the stairs to the Boys' Dormitories in silence. I thought Fred might be considering what I said, until we got into the room.

"Do you think I should pull some more snark on Snape during my next detention? Or maybe I should just let it go for a day, since I went so hard today?"

"You really do just let everything roll off your back, don't you, Fred," I asked, shocked that this was my own twin. "Here I thought you actually cared about Sarah's feelings."

He threw his satchel at his bed and almost growled. "What am I supposed to do, George? Hug her and tell her 'It's all going to be okay. They're just jealous of you.'? No. That's YOUR thing," he said. "You're the nice guy that's all friendly and emotionally available to people. I'm cold, detached, and more into the pranks than people in general."

Flopping down, face-first, into his bed, he sighed. "Well, we both know that's not totally true, but I can't just start hugging on her like that," he continued. "You like her. You go comfort her. I'll figure out how to make up with her tomorrow, okay?"

(Sarah's POV)

The next morning, I woke up early, to get down to the Common Room before the guys. If they were there first, I would have to listen to them apologize, and I didn't want to sit through that. It was my fault that I took it wrong, and I should apologize, and that was that.

Unfortunately, my plan didn't work out so well.

There, lying on the biggest plush couch in the Common Room, was Fred. Dead asleep, probably still in his robes from yesterday.

"What are you doing down here, you idiot," I asked, shaking him lightly. "Don't you have a bed in your dormitory that you could sleep in?" I laughed as he looked at me in that half-awake confusion. "You're in the Common Room, if you didn't know."

"Oh, yeah," he said, jumping up. "Look. I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean... I just..." He hung his head. "I'm sorry."

I patted his shoulder. "It's fine. I take everything a little too seriously sometimes," I said. "It's fine." Looking around the room, I didn't see his twin anywhere. "What's George up to?"

Fred looked at me slightly guiltily. "He's still asleep. I snuck down here super early, to be sure I was the first one down. I know how you are about apologies, and wanted to be sure I got the first word on this one." He smiled. "I'll go wake him up now, and we can head over to the Kitchens for breakfast. I'm sure the House-Elves'll sneak us something early."


	7. Chapter 7

After a "plumbing incident" in the Girls' Lavatories across the entire castle, every girl in the school had a hard time believing they weren't targeted by the Weasley Twins. Which, it was absolutely true that they were. But, they didn't need to know it.

The boys had installed a spray-able concoction (whose contents I didn't even know) in each of the toilets, with the help of Moaning Myrtle. She was always up for a good prank at the expense of other girls, which was one of the reasons we got along so well.

Once installed, every flush would deploy the liquid onto the girls. For days after, any whispered words would appear above their heads in bright colors. It was like having closed captioning from Muggle television, but in real life. Every bit of gossip was suddenly known by everyone. It took a few of the girls hours to figure out what was going on, but others caught on right away.

In a way, it was a lesson to them in why gossip is a bad idea. And then, it was also revenge, since we got a good deal of dirt on the ones that were starting the rumour pool.

"Detentions again, Ms. Andrews?" Dumbledore stepped out of the doorway to Gryffindor Common Room as I was stepping in. His smile told me he already knew everything about it, but it was fun talking with the Headmaster like this.

"Well, you know how it is, sir," I said. "Can't keep those Weasleys out of trouble without getting into a little yourself."

He chuckled. "Very true, Sarah. Very true." The older man smiled down at me. "Did we learn anything in our detentions today?"

"Well, I learned that Professor Snape isn't too happy when you mix up potions ingredient bottle labels," I said, smiling slightly. "He let out a few phrases, which I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear from a teacher, when he was mixing a potion just before I left."

Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh. "You and your pranks," he said. "One of these days, he's going to come to me about all of this, and I won't be able to keep you from trouble, you know."

I shrugged. "I did it all, so I deserve whatever trouble I get into," I said honestly. "It's a bit late, and I have a Potions essay to have finished by morning. Excuse me, Headmaster."

He nodded, and slipped a couple sherbet lemons into my hand. "Everybody deserves a sweet now and then, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Andrews?" Slipping out of the doorway and into the halls, the Headmaster of Hogwarts whistled a merry tune. The old man might be slightly off his rocker, but most times, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Shaking my head, I walked into the Common Room to find Harry Potter and his friends sitting on the couch in front of the fire, whispering about something-or-another.

Although she was whispering, and any other girl would be proudly displaying every word she uttered above her head in flashing colors, I couldn't see a word Hermione Granger was saying. She hadn't been as badly affected by the spray as the rest of the girls, probably because she had reverse-engineered the concoction and gave herself an antidote.

"Working hard, you three," I asked playfully as I walked across the room.

The trio's heads shot up from whatever they were looking at, and they groaned at me.

"Another Potions essay," Ron whined. "Snape's gone mental with writing essays the last few weeks." He sighed, and turned to the bushy-haired girl. "No chance you'll write it for me, is there?"

"Not. A. Chance." Hermione was hurriedly scratching words onto a roll of parchment herself. "I left mine later than usual, and have to get it done for myself."

I let out a low whistle. "Even Hermione's slacking in Potions," I joked. "Gotta be something in the water these days."

She glanced up at me with a knowing look. "I'm sure there was," she half-smiled as she spoke. "But then, I'm not always as susceptible to that sort of thing, am I?"

Nodding, I gave a half-bow. "Touche, Ms. Granger. I yield," I said. "And now, I'm off to find those bookends you call brothers, Ron. Any ideas where they'd be?" I looked around the Common Room and didn't see the co-conspirators anywhere.

"Like I'd want to find them," Ron scoffed. "Last time, they switched my wand with one of their joke wands. Looked absolutely mental in Charms."

"I think I saw them heading up to their dormitory," Harry said softly. The Boy-Who-Lived was always quiet around me, and I just wondered if it was because I was such good friends with the Twins. Everybody seemed a bit more wary around me than in their usual lives. "But, I'm sure that since you're friends with them, you know some sort of spell to get around the enchantment on the dormitory stairs."

Every chair in the Common Room squeaked as everyone tried to get a better listen to what I was about to say.

"Actually, I don't know anything about how to get around that," I said. It was true. I had no idea. The boys were working on something, but it didn't get past the first testing phase. "But, thanks for the info, Harry."

I ruffled Ron's hair on the way past, knowing it would bother him, and walked up the staircase to my own dormitory. If my timing was any kind of good, the girls would be so engrossed in their own homework that I could slip in the room and into my curtained-off bed without getting too much notice.


	8. Chapter 8

And, as per usual, I was so very wrong. When I got into my room, the girls were all still fuming about the prank the boys had pulled days before.

"Where do you get the NERVE to sic your little boyfriends on us," Victoria barked as I walked in. "We're roommates. You should have a little more sympathy toward us."

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed out loud. "Sympathy for YOU? You're the ones that start all the rumours about me in this school. I've never done a THING to make you do what you do to me, and the one time I decide to push back, you have the GALL to call me out for not being sympathetic?" I slammed my satchel down on my bed and glared over at the three other girls in the room. "Why should I feel anything but contempt toward you?"

Rachel sighed. "We tried to include you those first weeks you were actually in classes," she said. "But you were so stuck to those Weasleys..." She said the name with such disgust that I could almost taste the anger she felt. "We couldn't get you away from them for a minute."

"Because they're my friends," I said, defensively. "They sat next to me the entire two weeks I was blacked out in the Hospital Wing. You know, except during classes."

"Yes. We know," Victoria said. "You never let us forget that. We didn't even know you, though. How could we have gotten close enough to you, while you were sleeping, to get to be friends with you?"

"Honestly, Sarah," Maggie sighed. "You're impossible to talk to."

I retreated into my bed, and heard a collective sigh from the girls. "This is why exchange students don't last long," I heard one of them mumble through a crack in my curtains. "They don't get on well with the established students."

"You're so right," another said. "If you haven't been here for the last five years, how do you expect to get to know anybody?"

Closing off the last crack in my curtain, I settled in to focus on my work. What did it matter that I wasn't friends with the girls in my dormitory? Who cares that I only have two real friends, because I'd rather pull pranks on everyone else? I'm happy, and they shouldn't be upset with me over that.

As I finished up the last few lines of my re-re-re-revised Potions essay (I had wanted it to be perfect, so I re-wrote it at least four times.), I saw my curtains ripple, as if someone were standing just outside of them, possibly poking at them.

I put away my quills and parchment as slowly as possible. Eventually, I got around to opening the curtain. There stood my three roommates, waiting patiently.

"I'm sorry," Victoria said. "I know I haven't been the nicest to you since you got here, but you do have to admit, it's a little weird getting to know the new girl." She sighed. "We're here to make amends."

"You waited until I said something to you about it to decide to be decent human beings?" I was rude, and I heard it in my voice after I had let it out. Sighing, I shook my head. "I'm sorry. That was... Cruel. Thank you for apologizing, but you don't have to be my friends just because we're roommates." I half-smiled at them, to let them know it was okay. "I know how much you like your gossip, after all."

Maggie pointed to the edge of the bed, as if to ask if it were okay if she sat down. When I nodded, she did. "We only gossip when we don't know something, to be honest." She giggled. "We make up a story that sounds so outrageous, that we just have to share it with everyone. We know it isn't true, but sometimes, the crazy story is just what everyone wants to hear, you know?" Hanging her head a little, she apologized again. "Really, we know you aren't dating Fred, or George... Or Fred AND George. It was just fun to talk about like that."

Rachel nodded. "And, really, it wasn't even us that suggested that in the first place. Once we set in motion that you might be dating one of them, some other girls caught on that maybe you were with BOTH of them, since they almost act like one person anyway, how would it be any different?"

"Well, that's where you're wrong," I said, almost a little too quick. "Fred and George might be twins, but they're nowhere NEAR being the same person."

The other two girls decided the bed looked pretty comfy, since Maggie was sprawling out like it was story-time, so they joined us on my bed. It was almost like a slumber party, and I was starting to be okay with that.

"Tell us all about it," Victoria said, smirking. "Spare no detail."

"Well, it's not like I know intimately how different they are," I said, recovering. "But, when you talk to them, you can tell a distinct difference. Fred's voice is a bit harsher sounding, while George's is more soft, you see. And Fred will jump to tell a horrible joke, where George might show some restraint." I smiled, enjoying explaining my friends out loud. "But, alternatively, Fred is more likely to step in and defend you, while George would stay behind and comfort you. So, in a way, they both have their good and bad points."

Maggie smiled. "So, it's not like having two of the same person, but it's almost like having two halves of the perfect person, in two different bodies."

From there, our discussion morphed into "Who would you combine into one person to make the perfect boyfriend." which, I can only assume, is exactly what other girls do at slumber-parties. I wasn't as interested in the conversation as the other three, but I was finally getting to know the genuine sides of my roommates.

They turned out to be as different as Fred and George are from each other. Where I had thought they were a group of cruel individuals who only liked gossip, they ended up being so much different than that.

Maggie is the shyest of the group, but still pretty bold. She'd never jump into a confrontation without the other three. I imagined she would be the most likely to run in and comfort you when something went wrong, and that was a wonderful trait in a friend.

Rachel was a bit bolder. More willing to step on toes to get what she wants. She was also the one with a secret love for Muggle candies. She had a half-blood cousin who would bring treats to her at the beginning of term, and she would ration them out the entire year. Almost nobody outside the dormitory knew about it, though.

Victoria, of course, was the leader of the pack. The loudest, and most willing to tell a lie to start a fight. She wasn't truly cruel, of course, but she had to seem that way to stay ahead of the rest of the girls. On the inside, she was a true romantic, with a dirty streak (as evidenced by the jokes she liked to tell).

All in all, I had found a group of friends I could probably depend on when I needed them. It would be good for me to have friends outside of Fred and George, I was sure.


	9. Chapter 9

(George's POV)

When Sarah walked down the stairs the next morning, I really was not expecting her to be all chummy with her roommates. The four girls walked down the stairs, smiling and happy, chattering away.

"Oh, George," she called, running toward me. Linking her arm with mine, she dragged me over to her friends. "It seems you have never been formally introduced to my roommates." Sarah smiled as she pointed out each one of the girls, and told me which prank Fred and I had played on each of them through the years.

"Um, well, it's nice to meet you all," I said, a bit awkwardly. I felt like the boyfriend being introduced to the family for the first time, except Sarah was obviously much closer to me than she had ever been to those girls. "I... Apologize for the pranks, I guess?"

Rachel laughed. "No need. It's been long enough that it's just a silly memory," she said. "Back in First Year, I was furious about those robes, but it's all water under the bridge now, right?" The blonde smiled brightly.

Her friends echoed the sentiment, and began to head out of the Common Room. Victoria turned back to ask, "Coming with us today, Sarah?"

Sarah looked back at me, as if she were asking permission. All of a sudden, these girls were friendly with her, and she was acting like she'd rather be with them.

"Go on, I guess," I said, waving her off. "I'll sit with you at lunch, or something." I guess I was sulking, because she told the girls to go on without her, and stayed behind to talk to me. "What is it," I asked.

(Sarah's POV)

"What is it," George asked, almost nonchalant. I would've accepted it if he hadn't looked so defeated, like a kicked puppy.

"No, what's with you," I asked, honestly concerned. "Are you sick, or upset with me?" I put a hand on his shoulder, which he proceeded to shrug off. "George, honestly. Is there something wrong?"

He sighed. "One minute, you're freaking out at Fred for not thinking about your feelings, and here you are today, hanging out with the girls who were starting rumours about you just days ago," he said. Words just seemed to be tumbling from his mouth with no control. "I'd like to know what happened there, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind telling you at all, actually," I said calmly. "I was ready to tear into them last night, because they were making fun of me, as usual. I did actually say something before retreating to my bed." I thought back to last night. Could we really have all become friends like that so quickly? "They apologized, and we talked most of the night."

George seemed to calm down a bit after my explanation. But he still didn't look too happy about it.

"Why do they suddenly want to be bezzie pals with you, Sarah," he asked. "What changed?"

Thinking for a moment, I understood what he meant. "I honestly have no idea," I said. "But, if you or Fred notice anything strange..."

He smiled the most genuine smile I had seen on his face in a while. "We'll be right there with another top-shelf prank to pull. Promise."

I practically smushed George when I grabbed him. Squeezing him close, I almost didn't want to let go. "Nobody could replace you, you know, George," I said, releasing him a bit. "You're my bezzie mate, and you know it." A quick peck on the cheek, and I was out the door.

Pausing in the doorframe, I wondered if kissing George on the cheek might've sent him the wrong message... But it was too late to do anything by that point, so I headed on to the Great Hall to meet up with the girls.

(George's POV)

I guess I was wandering through the halls when Fred caught up to me. All I could think about was Sarah kissing me on the cheek. What it meant and all that.

"What is WRONG with you today," Fred asked. "You're not there in the Common Room when I came down. I hear you've already headed off to the Great Hall from some First Years, but you're not there. What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Dunno," I said, dazed. "Just... Walking, I guess."

Fred stopped me, looked me dead in the face, and was more serious than I had ever seen him before. Usually it was my face looking like that, so it was almost like looking in an actual mirror. "What did you and Sarah do this morning?"

Pushing his hands off me, I scoffed. "Nothing. She came downstairs with her roommates, we all talked a bit, and she rushed off to breakfast after them," I said. "We didn't DO anything."

"She kissed you, didn't she," Fred asked, smirk firmly in place. "She kissed you on the cheek, and now you're all starry-eyed and mooning over her." He laughed. "You are so simple."

"And you're a git," I said, half-defensive. "So what if I like her. YOU like Angelina. And I never see YOU doing anything about that." I puffed out my chest. "Maybe I'm going to talk to Sarah about the kiss later today. How do YOU know I'm just 'mooning' over her? And where did you pick THAT word up anyway?"

"Oh, shut up, George," Fred said, shoving my face toward the wall, laughing. "You know I don't have a chance with Angelina. I just like to joke about that. Sarah actually seems to LIKE you."


	10. Chapter 10

It was only a few days before the signs started to show. A pair of underwear missing from my trunk one moment. A lip gloss from my bag the next. I wasn't sure what the girls were up to, but I knew it wasn't any good.

Acting as though it was a day like any other, I went along with them, as though I didn't know a thing. But where I had taken to sitting with them, I sat with the Twins that day.

"They miss me," I said, rather convincingly. "You know how boys are. You have to make sure to stroke their egos sometimes, or they lose interest in the friendship." I laughed, knowing the girls would take a second meaning from that, but I honestly didn't care anymore.

"Well, we'll see you in Potions after breakfast," Victoria said, smiling as genuine a smile as I had ever seen. The girl was truly a snake in lion's dress. "Make sure you tell the boys hello from us."

They made their way to their usual portion of the table, while I made my way over to the Twins. The girls were eyeing me a bit from their end, but I tried not to look like anything was out of the ordinary.

"Something's up with them," I said. "I'm sure of it." I pulled my journal out of my robes, hoping the girls wouldn't see that I was carrying it with me. "I've been keeping this on me, just in case, since I noticed things going missing. Not like they'd be able to find it anyway. Never hide it in the same place twice." I smiled sadly. "You were so right, George."

Fred sighed. "Little brother," he began.

"I'm five minutes older than you, Fred."

"Quit lying, George," I said, smiling. "Go on, Fred. Finish what you were saying." I was interested to see what the plan was.

Smiling, Fred took up the sentence again. "Little brother, it's time to implement plan 24607."

George smiled as well. "Ah, 24607. Best plan of ours, I'd say."

"What's 24607," I asked. "Is it just a prank, or something better?"

Turning to face me in startling unison, smiling like Cheshire Cats, the twins had never looked more like bookends or mirror images than at that moment. "You'll find out," they said, never blinking. "It'll be amazing."

During the Quidditch match later that day, I finally saw what the girls were up to with my underwear and lip gloss. And I was mortified.

A sign was hung from the Gryffindor seating tower, featuring my underwear, and two huge kiss marks that had been drawn with my lip gloss. "Win it for me, Fred and George!" the sign declared. The handwriting was unmistakably mine, but I didn't remember writing it.

Then I remembered what good penmanship Maggie had. She was able to copy just about anyone's signature in minutes. All she had to do was get a piece of my homework, and she could've done this.

Of course, by the time the game had begun, the sign was taken down, and "returned" to me in front of everyone. McGonagall did not look amused, but would not take my word that I had not made the sign.

This was my punishment for all those years of pranks and lying to my Professors about them. I was the girl that cried prankless, but not believed this time. In shame, I folded the banner up and stashed it under my seat. The knowing smiles and jeering from seats behind me almost made me want to leave. But this was the last big game before Christmas, and I wanted to be there for the boys.

(George's POV)

"Good game today, George," Sarah said, a look of fake happiness was plastered on her face. "I'm so proud of you guys." She hugged me, and something told me there was something I had missed.

"What's wrong, Sarah," I asked softly, holding her in the hug a bit longer than usual.

She sighed, almost a sob, and replied, "I need you and Fred to meet me in the Room of Requirement tonight after lights out. I'll explain it all then."

Disappearing into the crowd, I could almost swear I saw Sarah shaking with sobs. Plenty of students smiled with a look of contentment at me, but I didn't understand. What was all this about? I pulled Fred to the side and told him what Sarah had said.

"Yeah, nobody's telling me what happened either," he said. "But I think we best implement the plan before tonight. Just so it gets done before somebody gets hurt."

The look of rage on his face told me he was serious about that. Sarah was one of our best friends, and if someone had hurt her, we would be on them like... Like a metaphor!


	11. Chapter 11

I lurked around the halls near where the Room of Requirement usually appeared, hoping I wouldn't get caught. It was hard when the boys met up with me separately, because only the one with the map could be sure there weren't Professors out and about.

A soft stepping noise was coming down the hall toward me, and suddenly, I was touched on the shoulder. Whirling around, I could see nobody there.

"Sarah, it's me, Harry." A voice seemed to come from nowhere. "See?" He seemed to lift up the very air and appeared from nowhere. "Ron said the Twins were coming to meet you down here, and I figured you could use this." He flung the cape over my shoulders. "Snape's on his way past. You can't afford any more detentions, especially after what happened today."

I smiled at the younger boy. So much kindness in him. "But what will you do," I asked. "He'll catch you too, you know."

Harry nodded. "But, he won't catch you." He pulled the cape over my face, and I seemed to disappear completely. "Just don't let the Twins know about the cloak. They don't need to have it." He smiled. "Just pass it on to Ron when you get a chance."

He started off down the hall, and I hugged him from behind. "You're a good friend, Harry Potter," I said softly. "Thank you."

I saw Professor Snape lurking around the corner just before he grabbed Harry's arm.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing out of bed at this hour, Mr. Potter?" Snape's voice sent chills down my spine, and not in any good kind of way.

"To be honest, I'm not all that sure," Harry said, feigning innocence as best as he could. "I just, sort of... Found myself down here."

Before Snape had a chance to say another word, I smacked him from behind, right on the head. He whirled around, expecting to see one of Harry's friends standing there, but was greeted with the sight of nothingness.

I stood extremely still, holding my breath, backing away ever so gently, so I wouldn't make a sound. Snape snatched at the air, spinning his arm around, as if he would catch something on it. I can't tell you how close he came to catching the edge of the cloak.

When nothing was found to be there, he turned back to look at Harry, who had managed to weasel out of his grip and had run off.

'Good for him,' I thought. 'Glad he took the opportunity, or he would've been punished for hitting Snape as well as being out of bed at this hour.'

When I was sure the boys were about to appear in the Hall, I removed the cloak and folded it up. It just looked like an old blanket when folded like this, so the boys would probably think nothing of it.

Appearing around the corner just as I finished folding up the cloak, the boys wordlessly motioned toward the wall, and we all walked toward it in unison. A door appeared on the wall as we walked. Small, squarish, and blue with a doorknob right in the center.

We walked in together, and there was just a table, a few chairs, and a warm fire burning in a small fireplace. Perfect for a secret meeting in the winter. The Room of Requirement always knew just what to do.

"Just in case this was about your horrible roommates," Fred began, holding his hand up to keep me quiet. "We went ahead and started on our plan. Now, tell us everything."

"No, you tell me about your plan first," I said. "What have you done?"

George smiled. "Oh, nothing that will hurt them, truly. Just their feelings, maybe," he said. "Probably lose a bit of that pride they have too much of anyway."

"What. Did. You. Do." I enunciated each word.

"Howlers," Fred said. "And that's all you'll know of the plan until tomorrow morning."

"Now, please, Sarah," George said, eyes pleading. "Tell us what happened? Nobody would tell us a thing. Just kept congratulating Fred and I on the win with a lot of awkward winks and nudges."

I sighed and pulled the banner out of my bag, letting them unfold it themselves. I stuffed the Invisibility Cloak down further into the bag, to be sure neither of them had seen it. If Harry didn't want to share it with them, I wasn't about to break his confidence in my ability to keep a secret.

"Well, looks like we're about to get lucky, eh, George," Fred said, winking at his brother.

George shoved his brother and frowned. "Not the time for jokes, Fred," he said. "Victoria did this?"

"Maggie wrote the words," I said. "She's a master at mimicking handwriting. Victoria probably implemented the plan, but I'd say Rachel was the mastermind." I hunched down in the chair, wishing I could just disappear into it forever. "Everybody saw it, and McGonagall didn't believe me when I told her it wasn't my sign."

"That's upsetting," George sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"The real question here is," Fred started, "are these actually yours, or did they stick their own underwear on here?" He was poking at the pair of lacy black panties on the banner, until I smacked his hand away.

"They're not mine anymore," I said, embarrassed. "I wish I'd never trusted them."

Fred smiled. "Well, they won't want anything to do with anyone after breakfast tomorrow." His smile radiated through me, giving me a bit of hope. Maybe this would all turn out okay after all.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, I made sure to show up in the Great Hall early. Not so early that it would be weird, but early enough that I was one of the first to begin eating.

By the time the girls came in to sit down, the owls were beginning to bring in the mail.

"And so, it begins," Fred said, smiling wickedly.

Looking up at the owls, I wondered out loud. "What did you do?"

"Well, it took a bit of doing, but... Well, you'll see," George replied. "Honestly, everybody will be talking about this for weeks." He smiled and put an arm around me. "Want to stay and watch, or do you want some actual denyability?"

"Some what," I asked.

"When they ask if you had anything to do with it, you can honestly say you weren't even there to see what happened," he responded. "Better decide quick, I think I see Victoria's owl descending."

I honestly wanted to stay and watch the drama unfold.

Each of the girls looked surprised when a different colored envelope was left for them. Victoria's was bright green, Rachel's was orange, and Maggie's was blue. As they reached for them, I felt a shiver. Something was about to happen, and I was never going to forget it.

In unison, the envelopes were ripped open, and each girl was showered with a seemingly-undending rain of glitter. At first, it was funny to them as well, but when the shower ended, they found they couldn't get the glitter off their skin or robes.

The envelopes then began to hover, much like a Howler. "Unforgivable!" they yelled, each in a different voice. "What you have done is unforgivable to say the LEAST!"

"What've they done?" was the question being asked at every table in the Great Hall. "Was that banner at the Quidditch match THEIRS?"

The Slytherins held their usual cold detachment, but some were sniggering about the glitter not coming off.

"Maybe it'll still be around the next time they pull something like that," one girl said. "I'd hate to be them right now."

I hugged the twins equally tight after breakfast. "Honestly, you two, that was brilliant," I said. "When will the glitter come off?"

"Eh," they shrugged. "It'll probably come out of their hair after a good wash. The attachment to skin, however..."

Fred pulled up his left sleeve to show that his upper arm was still covered in the stuff. "We'll just see how long this lasts, and we'll know about when theirs'll flake off."

Laughing, we walked to Potions class. We joked that Fred might never be rid of the hot pink glitter on his arm, which made him a little upset. He didn't seem to like the idea of having sparkles on him permanently.

"Well, well, well," Snape said, arms crossed against his chest. He leaned in the doorway to the dungeon classroom. "If it isn't the three troublemakers from breakfast."

"I believe you have the wrong three troublemakers," George said. "That would be..."

Snape cut him off quickly. "No. I believe I have the proper three. Was it not you that sent those letters?" He tried to feign surprise. "No matter. I know the Headmaster will like to hear about how you managed to send those from within school grounds."

"Howlers aren't allowed to be sent from the school to someone within the school," I asked, genuinely surprised.

"No, but apparently there's a way around that rule," he said. "It was made with good reason, you know. A lot of trouble was made back when I attended classes here..."

"About a million years ago," Fred mumbled under his breath.

With a glare, Snape continued speaking. "The Headmaster will see you, in his office, right now. You get a pass from my class this once." He didn't look too pleased about that. "The next time, I'm sure we'll be discussing expulsion."

The three of us filed back out of the dungeons and toward the staircases up to Dumbledore's office. All the way, we were trying to figure out why that possibly could've been a needed rule, even back in Snape's day. Upon our arrival, Dumbledore met us at the door with a bowlful of lemon sherbets and a welcoming smile.

"Well, it is nice to see you all," he said. "If you'd be so kind as to sit down?" He motioned toward three chairs set in front of his desk."

We sat, savouring our candies, and wondering what we would be discussing.

"I'm sure you'd like to know exactly why I wanted to speak with you," he said. "And why you'll be getting a passing grade for a class you won't be attending for the day."

"A passing grade for the day," I asked. "Snape just said we got a pass from class."

"Yes, well, I'll discuss that with him later," the Headmaster said, waving a hand at me. "At any rate, I am so very curious as to how you two managed to get around an enchantment that's been around for an entire generation. Can't have been easy."

Fred and George squirmed in their chairs. "It wasn't," Fred said. "Took us a few days to get it all figured out."

"If you don't mind, sir," George continued. "We'd like to keep that information to ourselves... But, with the promise that we won't use it again?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Be warned, George Weasley, I do not trifle with promises. If you promise not to do it again, you'll be held to that, in an extreme fashion."

The boys nodded, and the matter was dropped.

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking," I began, "why exactly was the enchantment placed anyway? Snape mentioned it was in effect in his time here at the school, as a student."

"Well, it has everything to do with a certain group of teenaged boys, who enjoyed sending Howlers to people around the school," the Headmaster replied. "One of whom is related to our own Harry Potter, in fact." He thought for a moment. "I believe, in their time here, they called themselves 'The Marauders' or some-such."

Fred and George's eyes went wide. "The Marauders Map..." they mouthed at me. The very thing that allowed them to pass around the school unnoticed by teachers after midnight. It was created by Harry Potter's father and friends?

"In any case, one such letter was from Sirius Black, in fact," he said. "To another of his friends. It yelled something rather... private about his 'arse', I believe it was, if you'll pardon the expletive." Chuckling to himself, he leaned back in his chair. "Of course, that was a different time. And none of you were so much as thought of at that point."

The older man turned back to us, and shot a very serious glance. "No more revenge-pranks, boys," he said. "The lighthearted ones played in jest are fine. I won't have students telling their parents I allow the two of you to run wild and do what you like, though."

We promised the Headmaster that we would behave. No more crusades against bullies. But, while walking out of the office, I looked back in at the man.

He sat there, chuckling to himself. "Permanent sticking charm on glitter," he laughed. "What an idea."


	13. Chapter 13

Christmas break came around more quickly than I thought possible. It seemed as though we had only been at school for a few weeks, and we were packing our trunks to head home.

"So, you'll be coming to the Burrow for lunch on Christmas Day, right?" George was so concerned about not getting to see me over the break. It was actually a bit cute, if I was honest with myself.

I laughed. "Yes, George. I'll be there with your gift, and your brother's," I said.

With a small sigh of relief, he sat back on the couch, smiling. "We got you a good present, you know," he said. "You'll really like it."

"Oh, so you kept that permanent glitter charm, did you," I asked, sarcastically. "If my present throws impossible-to-get-rid-of sparkles all over me, I'll know exactly who to kill, you know." I shook a finger at George. "You troublemaker, you."

We said our goodbyes at the train station, hugging each other tight, as if we were never going to see each other again.

"So, you won't be late," Fred asked. "Mum hates it when we have guests that show up for a meal late."

I laughed. "Of course I won't be. With the two of you reminding me that noon exactly is when lunch is served, I'll be sure to be there as early as possible." I hugged both twins tight again. "I'll see you on Christmas Day, promise."

Being home was probably one of the most boring things I had ever experienced after being at school all that time. And it was a bit... Loud.

"I cannot believe that we sent you to a school so close to home, and you're STILL managing to get into all manner of trouble," my dad said as soon as we came in the door. "I just... I'm baffled. What were you thinking?"

"That my friends were doing it too," I said sheepishly, looking down at my feet. "Honestly, dad. It's not as if we killed anyone."

The matter was dropped after mom found out that Snape just had something out for the Weasleys and any of their friends. Half the things he had written to them weren't even our doing.

Cal was laid out on the couch with me, just relaxing in the warmth of the fire on Christmas Eve. It was nice being able to stay in one place like this all day sometimes. School could be so stressful.

"Sarah? I know you wanted to be at your new friends' house early tomorrow, so I thought we could all open our presents tonight." Mum brought all the gifts into the living room and laid them around the tree. "Christine won't be coming in for a few days, so I've put hers to the side, but this is most of them." She smiled at me. "Go on, open yours."

We sat around until bedtime opening gifts. My parents had gotten me a few books I "should probably read" during the rest of the term, and I had gotten them each a couple candies from the Hogsmeade trips, and a handmade card each.

After thanking each other for our gifts, my parents hugged me and sent me off to bed with the promise that I could be dropped off at the Burrow first thing in the morning.

I hoped the Weasley family would like me. I realized I was just one of the boys' friends, but somehow, I felt that it was important that their mum like me. From the way they talked, she was a harsh woman, prone to over-analyzing people.

I really REALLY hoped Molly Weasley would like me.


	14. Chapter 14

I woke up at nearly four o'clock, so excited about seeing Fred and George all day. Rushing to get ready, I ended up sitting on the couch with Cal until six, to be sure my dad wouldn't be too upset about being woken up so early.

"Why in the world do you think Mrs. Weasley would want you coming into her home at this ungodly hour, Sarah," he asked, dragging his feet all the way to the kitchen.

"The boys say she's up this early making breakfast anyway," I said, defensively. "And anyway, this gives me more time with her to introduce myself to her and let her get to know me BEFORE Fred and George can skew her view of me." I smiled at him. "See? I've thought it all through."

Pulling our brooms out of the closet, he swatted at me with mine. "Yeah yeah. Like you're a genius or something."

Riding over to the Burrow was a bit nerve-wracking. I knew I would be making my way back home by myself, probably, so I paid close attention to where we were going.

"Now, remember," dad said, halfway there. "I want you home at eight exactly. If you aren't home at eight, I expect an owl within five minutes explaining yourself."

I nodded, keeping my focus on the route we were taking.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," my dad said, as she answered the door. "Sorry to be dropping off my daughter so early. She was just too excited to see your boys."

The woman in the doorway smiled brightly. "Ah, Sarah," she said, holding her arms out, "I've heard so much about you already. Some of it good, I promise." She hugged me close, and when she let go, she held me by the shoulders and looked me over. "Much prettier than they told me, of course." She smiled back at my dad. "It's no trouble at all. None of my boys are awake yet, but Ginny's up and helping with breakfast, if you'd like to join us in the kitchen, dear." She pointed me into the house and to the left.

As I walked away, she was reassuring my father. "Of course! Of course. I'll have the boys bring her straight home by eight. In one piece, and probably loaded down with gifts."

"Oh, hi." A soft voice called out from the kitchen. A red-haired girl peeked out the door at me. "Sarah, is it?"

"Yeah," I said. "You must be Ginny. It's nice to meet you."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you too," she said. "I was just helping mum cook up the sausages for breakfast. Want to have a taste before she gets back?"

We sat around in the kitchen talking until Molly came back in. "Now, then," she said, still smiling. "I know you've been sampling the breakfast, if Ginny had anything to do with it." She shot her daughter a knowing look. "You girls go on upstairs and wake the boys. I can handle things here just fine."

Ginny grabbed my hand and pretty much dragged me up the stairs. Near the first landing area, she thrust me into a door. "Fred and George's room. You handle them. I'll get Ron and Percy. We can get Bill and Charlie after those four are awake."

She ran off up the stairs as I opened the door slowly. It creaked loudly, and a pillow was thrust in my direction.

"Shove off, Ginny," one twin growled sleepily.

"Yeah," the other grumbled. "Too early."

I sighed. "Well, if you don't want to see me, I guess I should just go home." I turned to walk back down the stairs and was tackled by two suddenly very-awake twins.

The three of us tumbled to the foot of the staircase, and Molly peeked out from the kitchen. "Anybody hurt?" When we all shook our heads, she stepped back into the kitchen.

"I was told we had to get Bill and Charlie up," I said. "Where are they at?"

Fred and George grinned evilly. "Oh, just leave them to us."

"No, I think I'm going to leave you two down here and get them myself." I started up the steps, but they were halfway to the top before I got far. "Fred! George!" I sighed. "Don't hurt them too badly, I guess."

I was helping Molly set the table when I heard the boys thundering down the stairs.

"You gits are gonna get it!"

I peeked into the hallway, like Molly had earlier, to see two bigger red-heads, hair fluffed out as if they had just gotten out of bed, glitter coating their faces. This must be Bill and Charlie, and they were chasing Fred and George down the stairs.

Luckily, the twins were pretty quick, and they escaped too much of their older brothers' wrath. They sped into the kitchen, squeezing past either side of me, and Bill and Charlie were forced to stop right in front of me.

"Got you, did they," I asked, sniggering at their faces. Bill, the oldest, was covered in blue glitter, while Charlie was coated in green.

"Yeah." Bill said. "Any idea how to get it off?"

"Permanent sticking charm," I said. "Unless you can find a way around that, I think you're pretty well stuck glittery."

Sitting through breakfast was interesting. Mr. Weasley walked in, said hello to each of his children, and paused when he came to Bill and Charlie. The two glittery boys stared back at him.

"Should I ask," Arthur queried, turning to his wife.

"Better you don't, love," Molly replied. "It's Christmas. Just... Leave it be."


	15. Chapter 15

It took Bill just ten minutes of serious thought and charm-breaking before he figured out a counter to the permanent sticking charm.

"Pretty smart using that one," he said to the twins. "Here's the counter, if you'd ever actually use it."

Fred smiled brightly. "Thanks, Bill. I was looking to remove this at some point!" He pulled up his sleeve to reveal the bright pink glitter he had stuck to himself.

Bill laughed. "Testing on yourselves? What, you run out of first-years to use?"

"Nah," I said. "They'd rather just use me as a prank tester." I rolled my eyes. "Now I know better than to get near them when they're using glitter. I don't want to be one of the chosen few to get THAT blasted in my face."

"Don't believe we were properly introduced," Bill said, holding out his hand. "Bill Weasley."

"As I figured," I replied, shaking his hand. "Sarah Andrews. Nice to meet you."

"Haven't seen you before," Charlie said, walking into the living room. "Transfer student? These two don't really associate with more than the few they became friends with in first year."

I laughed. "I can see why. They must be good friends if they'd put up with these two that long." Fred and George glared at me, knowing I was kidding. "Yeah. Transferred from Beauxbatons. Met the bookends on the Hogwarts Express, actually. Sat on George and almost had my dog sit on Fred's lap."

The older brothers laughed. "How did you manage that?"

"Oh, they were invisible at the time," I said. "Don't know how they managed that, but they had a pretty good hold on it until we sat on them."

Fred and George were both blushing a bit while the family laughed at them. I was so happy that their family seemed to like me, but I was sure that, by the end of the day, the two of them would never want to invite me over for the holiday ever again.

"Time for presents," Molly said. With a flick of her wand, the presents under the Christmas tree floated up and arranged themselves in piles next to each of the family members.

Surprisingly, there were even a few that piled up next to me. I looked around, slightly suspicious, wondering how many of them were prank-gifts.

"One of those is from all of us," Molly said. "The other two... I'd be careful with those brightly-colored ones if I were you, dear."

The family took turns opening gifts, youngest to oldest. Ginny ended up with a small stash of candy (courtesy of Ron), some pranks ("To pull on your friends," Fred and George said.), a book, some galleons, and a pretty bracelet. Ron got candies from just about everyone, and a small handful of galleons from his parents.

Fred, George, and I all opened our gifts together. Which was unfortunate, because all of us had booby-trapped our gifts.

"Boys!" Molly shooed us all out into the yard to keep us from inhaling too much glitter and smoke. Fred and George had glitter-cannoned all the gifts, and I had put stinking smoke bombs in theirs. The smell would come out of the gifts easily, but they would be stuck smelling for a few days.

Everyone laughed when we emerged from the smoke in the garden. The three of us were an interesting combination of green, blue, orange, and red glitter. We all stunk like a fresh dung-bomb.

"Well, if the three of you are quite done," Arthur said, "the rest of us will get on with opening presents." He smiled at us when Molly wasn't looking and mouthed "Nice one." to the boys.

Fred and George had each gotten a bracelet from me. I had made them myself. Each had a small enchantment on it, but they would figure that out later. When I re-opened the boxes they had given me, I found a handwritten "book" from Fred (prank spells and enchantments he had promised to teach me later), and a necklace from George.

The necklace was coated in green glitter, and I showed that off to George.

"Ah... Yeah... Didn't think the glitter-bomb through too well, did I?" He laughed. "Well, at least Bill gave us the counter-spell for that sticking charm, huh?"

The family finished opening presents while Fred, George, and I cleared the house out. The smoke was the easiest to remove by far. The glitter, however, took us a while to sweep out of the living room carpets. As punishment, Molly wasn't really letting us use magic to sweep, but since she wasn't in the house, we cheated that rule a little bit.

Later on, when the family was done outside, I was handed a gift. "You forgot this one," Arthur said. "Go on, open it!"

Inside the small box was a modified sneak-o-scope. "So the boys can't get you with any of their pranks anymore," he said with a wink. "Modified it myself. They don't know, though. So don't tell them. Our secret."

"Thanks!" I pocketed the present. "That'll really come in handy."

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know how you've managed to stay friends with those two, but thank you," he said. "They need someone like you in their lives. You can stand your ground, I'm sure, but that sneak-o-scope will keep you at least a step ahead."

I thanked him again and walked into the kitchen. Molly was preparing dinner for the family. She turned as I walked in.

"Oh, Sarah, dear," she said, "do you mind setting out the silverware and plates? I've got a bit much going on here to manage that as well."

With a flick of my wand, the plates and silverware floated toward the table and arranged themselves. "Anything else you need," I asked.

"Well, you could always go outside with the boys," she said. "I'm sure they've started up a game of Quidditch. They could probably use another girl out there." She winked at me. "Go on. Have fun."


	16. Chapter 16

Molly had been absolutely right. The teams for the Quidditch game were absolutely unfair. Fred, George, Ron, and Charlie were on one team, and Percy, Bill, and Ginny were on the other. Grabbing a broom from the shed, I flew up to assist.

"How are we doing, Ginny," I asked.

"We really need a better seeker," she replied. "Percy's not so great at it, and neither am I, so Bill took that position. We needed him as a beater though."

I nodded and zoomed up to tap Bill on the shoulder. "I'm taking over. They need you as beater."

I caught sight of the makeshift snitch and zoomed after it. George was hot on its tail when I flew in next to him.

"Well, isn't this fun," I asked, smirking at him. "But, I'm afraid I'm going to have to end the game. So sorry."

Leaning forward a bit more, I picked up speed and nearly caught the snitch. Suddenly, I was tumbling toward the ground and everything went black.

I came to with all the Weasley kids hovering over me, and Molly tending to my leg.

"Merlin knows why I let you kids keep playing that horribly dangerous game," she said. "This happens every time, you know. You're all too serious about it." She noticed that my eyes had opened and sighed. "Oh good, you're awake. Tell me, does it hurt very badly?"

I shook my head. "No, I feel fine. I just... What happened?"

George blushed heavily. "I grabbed the tail of your broom, trying to pull you backward, and you ended up flipping off of it," he said. "I'm really sorry, Sarah."

"Well, if I'm going to die, I guess I want it to be either you or Fred accidentally killing me," I said, laughing. Attempting to stand, my right leg buckled under my weight.

"You might not be able to feel it, but that leg is pretty badly damaged," Molly said. "George, since this was YOUR doing, you should carry her inside. I'll send an owl to her father, and we'll take her to St. Mungo's."

I sighed as George picked me up, bridal-style. "So, you broke my leg, then."

"I didn't MEAN to," he said, defensively. "You were implying that you were better at Quidditch than I am!"

"Yes, well, that doesn't mean you have to try to kill me as revenge!"

George sighed heavily. "I wasn't TRYING to kill you. You're just INSANE!"

A round of laughs from behind us snapped me back into the moment. Fred, Bill, Charlie, and Ron were all following closely, to hear the fight that was unfolding.

"You two bicker like an old married couple," Bill said, chuckling.

A quick look at George showed that he was blushing as red as my face felt. "We're not a couple," we both yelled, a bit too quickly.

Fred winked at the two of us. "Not yet, you're not. But we all know that's going to happen soon enough." He laughed. "The two of you are closer than George and I are, and that's pretty impressive, honestly."

By the time the rest of us made it to the house, Molly was sending out a second owl.

"Your father thought it was funny that you managed to get hurt," she said, shaking her head. "It was like he was expecting it. He and your mother are going to meet us at the hospital. Now we just have to figure out how to get you there comfortably."

"Since Ron managed to wreck the Anglia earlier this year, we can't fly it there," Arthur said, throwing a look at his youngest son. "But, we could probably get her there on a broom alright. She still isn't feeling much pain in the leg, is she?"

I shook my head. "It's pretty numb. I think I could manage a broom on my own."

Molly waved her hand at me. "I won't hear of it," she said. "George will fly you there on his."

"Or we could apparate," Bill said. "I'll make sure she's taken care of if her parents aren't there when we arrive."

George gave his brother a glare and, looking defeated, agreed that apparation would probably be best.

Handing me off to his oldest brother, George held onto my hand for a second and looked into my eyes. "I'm really sorry about your leg," he said. "I'll make it up to you. Promise."

"You'd better," I said, squeezing his hand. Sighing, I let go and told Bill I was ready to go.

My parents arrived well after the healers fixed up my leg. Bill and I were exploring the hospital, looking for any sign of a dining hall when they caught up with us.

"Well, it looks like they took care of your leg pretty quickly, then," dad said. "Is this one of your friends, Sarah?" He looked Bill up and down. "Older than I thought they'd be, honestly. I thought you said Fred and George were in your year at school."

Bill laughed. "They are, sir," he said. He offered his hand to my father. "I'm Bill, the twins' oldest brother."

"Nice to meet you, Bill," dad said, smiling. "Well, thanks for taking care of clumsy Sarah for us."

"You know that injury wasn't her fault, don't you," Bill asked. "George knocked her off her broom during a Quidditch game."

"Accidentally," I interjected. "And he felt VERY bad for it."

Mum and dad laughed. "I'm sure he did," mum said. "Let your parents know that we appreciated them having Sarah over for the day, Bill."

He nodded, and said goodbye before apparating back to the Burrow on his own.

Dad put me on the back of his broom and sighed. "You're always getting into some kind of trouble, aren't you, Sarah?"

I laughed at his tone. "I know, I know. Be more careful, right?"

"I didn't think of it until now, but where is your broom," mum asked. She smiled. "You left it there, didn't you? Wanted reason to go back tomorrow, huh?"

"Actually, I completely forgot about it," I said. "Oh, my presents!" I sighed. "No chance of me going back over now to get the broom and gifts, is there?"

Mum and dad shared a look, and sighed. "Alright," they agreed. "We'll take you by, but you're just going in to get your things, and then we're going."

But that's never how things work with the Weasley family.


	17. Chapter 17

I was greeted at the front door by Ginny and George, both fighting over who would get to answer the door.

"Sarah!" George almost squished me in a hug. "How's your leg? Is it okay? Does it still hurt? I am SO SORRY about that. I'll never play on a team against you during Quidditch again, okay?"

My dad laughed. "You weren't kidding about him being sorry, were you?" He smiled at George. "Sarah's just here to get her things, er..."

"George," he said, offering his hand to my father. "I'll go get your gifts. Your broom's probably still out in the yard."

All at once, Molly and Arthur rushed into the room, realizing that there was company at the door.

"Ah! Sarah's parents," Arthur said. "Very nice to see you both. So sorry that our son damaged your daughter. But, that's how things go when you get children together, isn't it?"

The four of them stood at the door, introducing themselves and conversing about how much trouble kids can be, or something like that.

I followed George into the living room and collected my things. "You know, I'm not mad about my leg, George," I said.

"I know," he said, avoiding my gaze. "I just... I'm really really sorry."

"Shut up," I said, playfully smacking at him. "You've said that enough for a lifetime now. Just, promise me you won't go easy on me next time we play. I don't want you to feel like you might hurt me." I smiled at him as he looked at me. "I'm a big, tough girl. I can handle it."

"Yeah right," George said, acting like he was going to playfully shove me. "Is that why Fred and I have to fight your battles for you?"

I actually shoved George and laughed. "Shut up. You didn't have to, but I did tell you how much I appreciated the help." I flopped down on the couch. "Honestly, I don't see why you're so freaked out about me getting hurt like that. It's not like we're muggles." I pointed at my leg, which I was moving vigorously. "See? Perfectly fine."

He sat down next to me. "Yeah, but you could've been hurt so much worse than that," he said. "I should've thought before I-"

Fed up with him talking about it, and taking a cue from every romantic love story I had ever read, I grabbed George's shoulders, pulled him toward me, and kissed him.

It was amazing. You know, except the whole "accidentally headbutting each other and almost breaking both our noses" thing...

Molly shook her head at us as she finished up the minor healing spell on George's nose.

"I'll never understand how kids get injuries like this," she said. "And just after Sarah got back from St. Mungo's with that leg." She shook her head again. "Be more careful, you two. If this keeps up, we might just have to talk to Dumbledore about the two of you taking up residence in the Hospital Wing at the school."

All of the parents laughed at that, knowing full well that Madame Pomfrey would want nothing to do with the Hospital Wing if two of the three of us were staying in there constantly.

The parents said their goodbyes to each other as Fred, George, and I gathered near the door to say goodbye again.

"So, am I going to find out what that was all about," Fred asked. "Or am I going to have to make up my own story about it?" He looked pointedly at George.

"I'd rather not talk about it at all, to be honest," I replied. "I'll see you guys when we get back to school." I turned to leave, and realized I still didn't have my broom. "Um... George, can you go get my broom for me? I think it's still out in the yard somewhere?"

George silently made his way out the door to fetch my broom. Fred closed in like a shadow over me.

"So, Sarah," he said, nonchalantly leaning against the wall. "Tried to kiss my brother, did you?"

I attempted to scoff, as if he was way off, but it came out more as a cough and a blush. "Shut up," I said, trying to cover for myself. "As if."

He smiled wickedly. "I have it on good authority that he likes you too." Leaning further toward me, he whispered, "Might want to be a bit more gentle with Georgie next time. Pretty sure he doesn't like it rough like that." Waggling his eyebrows at me, he backed out of the doorway and further into the house.

Just as I was about to run after Fred and smack his face into a wall, George tapped me on the shoulder, and handed me my broom. He never looked me in the eye or said anything.

Taking this opportunity, since our parents had gotten lost in a conversational tangent, I cleared my throat, looking down at my feet.

"Sorry about that. Didn't realize that you could headbutt somebody by trying to shut them up." I shifted on my feet, and glanced over at George, who was looking at me strangely. "What?"

"Is that what we're calling it now," he asked, laughing. "Shutting somebody up? I'm pretty sure that was an attempt at..."

I put my face dangerously near his and hissed, "We will never speak of this again."

"Well well well," Fred said, having snuck back into the entryway. "What else did we expect from the two lovebirds? More kissing, hmm?"

Both of us turned to the smirking prat and let loose with a mighty, "Shut up, Fred!"


	18. Chapter 18

Finally, the holidays were over, and we were back at Hogwarts.

It isn't so much that I hated spending time with my family. It's just, when you get into as much trouble as I do at school, you regret it the entire time you're at home.

But, since there was no family around to make us feel guilty, the three of us were back at our pranks and tricks as soon as we were in the doors.

"So. The famous Weasley pranksters didn't waste a moment." Snape lurked near the doorway of the dungeons, while the three of us sat in our seats silently after class. "Switching up potions ingredients. Dangerous as well as stupid. I didn't expect you'd go for something so idiotic so soon after coming back."

He gave us detentions for a week, but it was worth it. One of the prattiest Slytherins in our Potions class was blasted with a failed potion, and his skin was electric blue for a week, at least.

The latter portion of the year seemed to fly by. It was like I blinked and we went from Christmas to summer. But, they do say that time flies when you're getting detentions for having fun. On the train ride back to King's Cross Station, we discussed the break.

"Will we see each other at all over the summer holiday," I asked. "I know we get into a lot of trouble when we're together, but three months without the two of you? I might just die from the lack of Weasley prank effects in my life."

Fred feigned sadness and said, "Oh, we'll never see each other again. Three months is going to be like an eternity! What if we all die before the summer's over?" He began to wail, and switched it into a hearty laugh. "Of course we'll see each other over the summer. Well, George and I will, anyway."

I shoved him and cracked a smile. "Hush, you. Honestly though, you'll miss me before the week is out."

"I know one of us will miss you before the DAY is out," Fred muttered under his breath.

Since the kiss disaster over Christmas, George and I had kept a respectful distance from each other. Mostly to keep from having another disaster like that, but also to keep Fred from joking about us sneaking off together to snog in broom closets. And yet, here he was making jokes again. It would never end for us.

"Of course he will," I said, patting George's shoulder. "He IS my best friend and favorite twin, after all." A sideways smile from George told me I had said that with just the right level of snark.

"But, I'm the beautiful one," Fred said, holding his chest. "What... What am I in this group if HE's your favorite, AND your best friend?"

"Well..." I paused, as if thinking. "I'd say you're the stupid git of the bunch, but that's insulting to gits everywhere." I ruffled his hair. "As if I could choose which of you is my best friend. You kinda... Share the title, I guess." I shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to deal with that."

George piped up, "What if we're NOT going to deal with it? What if we made you choose right now?"

The bookends moved so they were sitting next to each other, directly across from me.

"Which one is which," they asked in unison. "You ought to know your favorite at a single glance by now."

Looking at the two of them separately, you could tell them apart in an instant. George had a softer voice and was much gentler in general. Fred was a bit more ruff and gruff. But, seeing them next to each other like this, it was hard to find those small details and differences. Especially when they were completely silent, and giving me mirror-imaged smirks of amusement.

As long as I stared at them, they refused to say anything. It was all part of the game.

"Well, obviously, the one with slightly fluffier hair," I pointed to the brother on the right, "Is George. Besides, he always stands or sits to the left of Fred, who has much straighter hair."

Fred slouched down in the seat and grumbled. "Lucky guess."

"Maybe we should change up which one of us sits on the right," George muttered, leaning back as well. "Seems like we're giving in to a pattern."

I smiled triumphantly. "See? I can tell you two apart easily."

The formerly sullen Fred sat up quickly, smiling brightly. "So, that means you ADMIT that George is your favorite, doesn't it?" When I tried to protest, he interrupted. "We said choose, and made you pick out your favorite from the two of us. You mentioned George first!"

George sighed heavily. "Give it up, Fred. Even if she did have a crush, she wouldn't admit it with you picking at her like that. Would you? Answer honestly, brother of mine. Would you REALLY want to admit that you liked someone to a person that was picking at you constantly about having a crush on them?"

"Thank you, George," I said civilly. "I do get tired of being badgered about that all the time."

"Well, in that case," Fred began.

I groaned and flung myself into a lying position on the bench, just knowing it was going to be something about hanging out with George all the time. "Alright, do your worst."

"If you hate being badgered all the time, you'd better stop hanging out with so many Hufflepuffs." Fred shrugged.

George and I both looked at him curiously.

"It's funny," he said. "Their mascot is the badger. You hate being badgered. I made a pun! Sue me!" He leaned back in the chair again, muttering something about his comedy not being appreciated.


End file.
